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Articles by Jonathan Thomas
Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Class Struggle — On The Line
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently estimated that up to 60% of jobs in the U.S. – and 40% globally – primarily involve tasks that can be done by artificial intelligence (AI)-driven automation. Of these “AI-exposed” jobs, the IMF estimates that half could be easily replaced by AI. It remains to be determined just how many jobs will be affected, and on what timescale that will happen.
Why did VivoPower (VVPR) Surge 66% today ?
In a significant development that highlights its commitment to sustainable energy solutions, VivoPower International PLC (Nasdaq: VVPR), a certified B Corporation, has announced a pivotal extension with Cactus Acquisition Corporation I (Nasdaq: CCTS, CCTSW, CCTSU). The agreement concerning their electric vehicle subsidiary, Tembo e-LV B.V. (“Tembo”), has been extended to July 31, 2024.
10 Key Takeaways | Reflections on the 2023 ANA Masters of Advertising Law Conference
The ANA Masters of Advertising Law Conference is among the highlights of the year in the world of advertising law. It is the rare legal conference that covers such a broad array of legal issues under one large “advertising law” umbrella, and it is overly stuffed with highly educational sessions. This year’s conference was no exception.
Founder of Binance crypto exchange admits failing to prevent money laundering
The founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has admitted he failed to take steps to prevent money laundering as the company agreed to pay more than 4 billion dollars (£3.2 billion) after an investigation by the US government. Chief executive Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to one count of failure to maintain an effective anti-money-laundering programme in a federal court in Seattle. Binance is a Cayman Islands limited liability company.
TikTok launches feature to save songs to music apps like Spotify
TikTok has launched a feature to make it easier for users to save viral songs to music apps like Spotify and Apple Music. The “add to music app” feature will be rolled out in the UK and US over the coming weeks. It will enable users to save songs they discover on the video platform directly to their preferred music streaming app. Viral trend videos have helped popularise tracks such as Kylie Minogue’s dance anthem Padam Padam, and Raye, Casso and D-Block Europe’s collaboration on the single Prada.
'Starmer's refugee plan: Will a Europe deal and "smashing" gangs really work?' - LabourList
The British public are open to welcoming refugees, but not on an uncontrolled basis. In the face of ongoing irregular migration across the English Channel, Sir Keir Starmer has begun to sketch out Labour’s alternative to the Tories’ Rwanda plan.
AI Safety Summit: What have we learned?
The first AI Safety Summit has come to an end with Rishi Sunak hailing “landmark” agreements and progress on global collaboration around artificial intelligence. But what did we learn during the two-day summit at Bletchley Park? – Rishi Sunak wants to make the UK a ‘global hub’ for AI safety As the summit closed, the Prime Minister made a notable announcement around the safe testing and rollout of AI.
ChatGPT maker among AI firms to publish safety policies in transparency push
Leading AI companies, including ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Google DeepMind have published their safety policies following a request from Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan. The group also includes AI firm Anthropic, along with tech giants Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, who have each published their policies on nine areas of safety around AI development proposed by the Government.
Elon Musk says ad-free X (aka Twitter) Premium subscription is coming soon
Elon Musk says X, formerly known as Twitter, will soon launch an ad-free version of its X Premium subscription, allowing users to pay to not see advertisements. The Tesla and SpaceX boss said the site will offer a “lower cost” version of Premium, which will include all the features of the subscription but “no reduction in ads”, alongside the more expensive ad-free version. The billionaire did not confirm pricing for the two tiers or when the new subscription tiers will launch.
Tinder adds Matchmaker feature to let friends recommend potential dates
Tinder users can now invite friends to view and suggest potential matches on the dating app as part of a new “matchmaking” feature. Called Matchmaker, the new tool enables a user to give access to their possible matches to up to 15 friends in a 24-hour period, who can view profiles and suggest possible matches even without a Tinder account, but cannot message others on the user’s behalf.
X (aka Twitter) begins charging new users to post as part of trial
X, the site formerly known as Twitter, has started to charge new users to post and reply to others on the platform as part of a new trial it says is to combat bot accounts. The scheme will see new users who sign up in New Zealand or the Philippines be required to pay a one dollar a year subscription in order to use key features on the site. Those who choose not to pay the fee will only be able to follow accounts and read posts.
Kenyan Facebook moderators accuse Meta of not negotiating sincerely
The lawyer representing 184 former Facebook content moderators based in Kenya who sued the site’s parent company Meta over working conditions and pay has told a judge that Meta has not been sincere in trying to reach an out-of-court settlement as agreed in the last court session. Mercy Mutemi said the talks had collapsed and the former moderators want to proceed with a contempt of court case against Meta, which she described as “not genuine”.
Meta and X questioned by US legislators over AI-generated political deepfakes
US legislators are calling on social media platforms X, Facebook and Instagram to explain why they are not imposing labels on deceptive AI-generated political advertisements that could fake a candidate’s voice or actions.
Google AI ‘miles ahead’ of rivals and helps Pixel phones stand out, exec says
Google’s artificial intelligence tech is “miles ahead” of the competition, one company executive has said, as the firm unveiled its latest flagship smartphones. The new Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro include the tech giant’s latest Tensor G3 processor, which Google says will allow AI to help users more easily carry out daily tasks.
X (aka Twitter) removes article headlines in latest platform update
The X social media site has stopped showing headlines on articles shared on the platform. The site formerly known as Twitter now only displays an article’s lead image and a link to the story. Plans for the change were first reported by Fortune in August, when owner Elon Musk confirmed in a tweet that he thought the change — which came from him “directly” — would “greatly improve the aesthetics” of posts.
TikTok trials advert-free paid subscription plan
TikTok is trialling a new paid subscription service for people who do not want to see adverts on the video-sharing platform. The social media giant is offering the service as part of a limited test in one market outside of the US. It did not specify exactly where it is. Some users of the app have been offered the ad-free subscription plan for a monthly fee of 4.99 US dollars (£4.13), as first reported by Android Authority.
TikTok ends retail business in Indonesia after ban on social media shopping
TikTok has said it will halt its online retail operation in Indonesia to comply with the country’s decision to ban e-commerce transactions on social media platforms – a big blow to the video platform’s fastest-growing market.
Microsoft chief says unfair practices by Google led to search engine dominance
Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella has said unfair tactics used by Google led to its dominance as a search engine and in turn thwarted his own company’s rival programme, Bing. He gave evidence in a packed Washington DC courtroom as part of the government’s landmark antitrust trial against Google’s parent company Alphabet.
TikTok finds and shuts down secret operation to stir up conflict in Ireland
TikTok has uncovered and shut down a secretive operation to influence Irish users and whip up social conflict. The covert influence operation (CIO) network comprised 72 accounts with a total following of almost 95,000 users. The video sharing platform’s work to find and remove the accounts was detailed in a report to the European Commission. TikTok is a signatory of an EU code of practice aimed at combatting disinformation and misinformation online.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicks off developer conference with focus on AI
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has kicked off the tech giant’s Connect developer conference in California with a focus on virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. The company behind Facebook, which renamed itself Meta two years ago, unveiled the next version of its virtual reality headset, the Quest 3. It will cost 499 US dollars (£412) and begin shipping from October 10.
Google Bard can now link to Gmail and other apps to help with responses
Google Bard, the tech giant’s generative AI platform, can now link with other Google services such as Gmail, Maps and YouTube in order to provide more in-depth responses to prompts from users. Launched earlier this year, Bard is part of the new wave of AI-based chatbots which offer detailed written replies to questions and queries.
Tech titans have ‘very civilised discussion’ with US senators on AI, says Musk
US senators have heard from prominent technology executives and others in private on how to accomplish the potentially impossible task of passing bipartisan legislation within the next year that encourages the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and mitigates its biggest risks. The closed-door forum on Capitol Hill convened by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer included almost two dozen tech executives, tech advocates, civil rights groups and labour leaders.
Google takes on the US in biggest antitrust trial in decades
Google will confront a threat to its dominant search engine beginning on Tuesday when federal regulators launch an attempt to dismantle its internet empire in the biggest US antitrust trial in a quarter century. Over the next 10 weeks, federal lawyers and state attorneys general will try to prove Google rigged the market in its favour by locking its search engine in as the default choice in a plethora of places and devices.
Google to require prominent disclosure of political ads altered with AI
Google has said political adverts using artificial intelligence (AI) must soon be accompanied by a prominent disclosure if imagery or sounds have been synthetically altered. Starting in November, just under a year before the next US presidential election, the technology giant said in an update to its political content policy that disclosure of AI to alter images must be clear and conspicuous and be located somewhere that users are likely to notice it.
Tech giants branded online ‘gatekeepers’ in next phase of EU’s digital crackdown
The European Union has targeted Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet, Facebook owner Meta and TikTok parent ByteDance under new digital rules aimed at reining in the market power of online companies. The six companies were classed as online “gatekeepers” that must face the highest level of scrutiny under the 27-nation bloc’s Digital Markets Act.
Warner Music sign first digital character Noonoouri and release debut single
Warner Music Central Europe has offered its first record deal to a digital character, Noonoouri, releasing her debut single Dominoes featuring German DJ Alle Farben on Friday. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology was used to create the singing voice of Noonoouri, which has been based on a real singer’s voice but altered so she has her own distinct sound.
IBM selling The Weather Company assets to private equity firm Francisco Partners
IBM is selling assets of The Weather Company – including Weather.com and The Weather Channel mobile app — to private equity firm Francisco Partners. The two companies announced the deal on Tuesday that also includes The Weather Company’s forecasting science and technology platform and other digital properties. They did not disclose its price.
John Warnock, who helped invent the PDF and co-founded Adobe, dies aged 82
John Warnock, who helped invent the PDF and co-founded Adobe Systems, has died at the age of 82. The Silicon Valley entrepreneur and computer scientist died on Saturday surrounded by family, Adobe said in a statement. The company did not give a cause of death or say where Mr Warnock died. “John’s brilliance and innovations left an indelible mark on Adobe, the technology industry and the world,” Adobe said.
Amazon rolling out generative AI feature that summarises product reviews
Amazon is rolling out a new generative AI feature that summarises product reviews for customers. The feature, which the company began testing earlier this year, is designed to help shoppers determine at a glance what other customers have said about a product before they spend time reading through individual reviews. It will pick out common themes and summarise them in a short paragraph on the product detail page.
Facebook owner Meta carries out threat to block news in Canada
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta is keeping its promise to block news content in Canada on its platforms in response to a new law that requires tech giants to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online. Google’s owner Alphabet has said it plans to do the same, although it does not appear to have followed through yet. The company said in a June blog post that it will begin removing news links in the country when the law takes effect — expected in December.
Apple’s earnings top analysts’ forecasts but year-over-year sales drop again
Apple made a slightly higher profit last quarter even though sales dipped during the period – a time during which the iPhone maker became the first publicly held company in the US to be valued at 3 trillion dollars. The results released on Thursday covered April to June, the third consecutive quarter that Apple has posted a year-over-year decline in revenue. That is its longest stretch of declining sales in nearly seven years.
Nintendo’s profit jumps as Super Mario franchise gets boost from hit film
Nintendo has reported a 52% increase in net profit for the first fiscal quarter following the success of its Super Mario film and the new Zelda video game. Demand was strong for Nintendo Switch game software, which received a boost from the release earlier this year of the film about the jumping plumber called The Super Mario Bros Movie, according to Nintendo. The film has so far drawn more than 168 million people globally, grossing 1.3 billion US dollars (£1 billion).
Twitch expands ban on gambling livestreams
Amazon-owned Twitch has said it is expanding its ban on livestreams of gambling content on the platform. The company said it will now prohibit streams of online casinos Blaze and Gamdom, adding to the four sites it banned last October when its new gambling policy went into effect. Twitch announced the restrictions after controversy broke out on the platform last year involving a streamer accused of scamming users and other content creators out of thousands of pounds to fuel a gambling addiction.
Software company Salesforce to axe 50 jobs in Ireland
Software company Salesforce is to cut around 50 jobs from its Irish workforce, it is understood. The company currently employs more than 2,500 people in Ireland, and opened an office in Dublin’s North Dock earlier this year. The job cuts are separate from an earlier round of losses announced by the US company in January, affecting around 8,000 employees worldwide, or 10% of the workforce.
Musk threatens to sue researchers who documented rise in hateful tweets
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has threatened to sue a group of independent researchers whose research documented an increase in hate speech on the site since it was purchased last year by Elon Musk. A lawyer representing the social media site wrote to the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) on July 20 threatening legal action over the non-profit’s research into hate speech and content moderation.
TikTok launches text-only posts as social media innovation race heats up
TikTok has launched text-only posts as the video platform takes on rival social media giants in the race to innovate. The new format will allow users to create text-based content to share stories, ideas, poems, recipes or other written content, the app said. People can add colours, stickers, hashtags and sounds to their text post, and can also “duet” with other users on the platform.
Twitter unveils X to replace famous blue bird logo
Twitter has replaced the social media platform’s famous bird logo with an X as part of owner Elon Musk’s plans to create an “everything app”. Recently-appointed chief executive Linda Yaccarino tweeted a picture of a white cross on a black background, saying “X is here! Let’s do this”. Mr Musk unveiled the new logo over the weekend, marking the latest major change since he bought Twitter in October last year for 44 billion US dollars (£34.3 billion).
Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other firms agree to AI safeguards
Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other companies leading the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology have agreed to meet a set of safeguards brokered by US President Joe Biden’s administration. The White House said it has secured voluntary commitments from seven American companies meant to ensure their AI products are safe before they release them.
US watchdog probes ChatGPT creator OpenAI over consumer protection issues
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an investigation into ChatGPT creator OpenAI and whether the artificial intelligence (AI) company violated consumer protection laws by scraping public data and publishing false information through its chatbot. The agency sent OpenAI a 20-page letter requesting detailed information on its AI technology, products, customers, privacy safeguards and data security arrangements.
Elon Musk says Twitter is losing cash due to heavy debt and drop in advertising
Elon Musk has said Twitter is losing cash because advertising has dropped by half. In a reply to a tweet offering business advice, the billionaire tweeted on Saturday: “We’re still negative cash flow, due to (about a) 50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load.
Elon Musk unveils xAI, his new artificial intelligence startup
Elon Musk is finally starting to talk about the artificial intelligence company he founded to compete with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. The startup, xAI, formally launched on Wednesday and its goal “is to understand the true nature of the universe”. It has not said much more than that.
Google rolls out AI chatbot Bard to Europe and Brazil and adds more languages
Google has said it is rolling out its AI-powered chatbot Bard across Europe and in Brazil, expanding its availability to hundreds of millions more users. The company also said it is adding more features to Bard as it scrambles to keep up with rival Microsoft – which uses OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT service in its Bing search engine – in the race to develop pivotal artificial intelligence for commercial use.
Threads plans new features to make app ‘better and fast’ after user feedback
The boss of Instagram has said new features for app Threads are on his “list”, including the ability to revisit liked posts, and an alternative home page to view posts just from followed accounts. Adam Mosseri responded to users on the platform suggesting updates they would like to see on the nearly one-week-old app.
Europe signs off on a new privacy pact that allows data to keep flowing to US
The European Union signed off on a new agreement over the privacy of personal information that is pinged across the Atlantic, aiming to ease European concerns about electronic spying by American intelligence agencies. The EU-US Data Privacy Framework has an adequate level of protection for personal data, the EU’s executive commission said.
Twitter threatens legal action over Meta’s rival app Threads
Twitter has threatened to sue Meta over its fast-growing rival Threads app, alleging that it stole trade secrets. The Instagram and Facebook owner, which launched Threads on Wednesday, appeared to deny that former Twitter employees worked on the creation of the app and used insider knowledge. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said more than 30 million people have signed up to use his rival messaging app in the first 24 hours since its launch.
Facebook faces legal setback in EU court decision on data privacy and ads
Facebook lost a legal challenge on Tuesday at the European Union’s top court over a groundbreaking German antitrust decision that limited the way the company uses data for advertising. The European Court of Justice said competition watchdogs can consider whether companies such as Facebook comply with the continent’s strict privacy rules, which are normally enforced by national data privacy regulators.
Twitter to stop TweetDeck access for unverified users
TweetDeck is to become the next part of Twitter to be limited to users who have paid for verified status. The application, which allows users to manage multiple feeds and searches, will only by accessible to verified users in 30 days, according to a tweet from Twitter Support on Monday evening. A new version of TweetDeck has been made available with the tweet giving instructions to update.
Grammy Award bosses ban AI from entering any category
The Recording Academy has announced a number of changes to the Grammy Awards, including a rule that “only human creators” can win in a decision aimed at the use of artificial intelligence in popular music. “A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any category,” they said, under new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Protocols released on Friday.
EU watchdog orders Google to break up digital ad business over competition fears
European Union regulators have ordered technology giant Google to sell off some of its lucrative digital advertising business in order to address competition concerns. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch and top competition enforcer, said its preliminary view after an investigation is that “only the mandatory divestment by Google of part of its services” will satisfy its concerns.
Augmented reality headset Vision Pro is ‘most advanced device ever’ - Apple
Apple has unveiled an augmented reality headset which it claims to be “the most advanced personal electronic device ever”. Called Vision Pro, it is labelled as “mixed reality” as it combines “virtual reality” – in which the wearer is fully immersed in the digital world – with “augmented reality” – where digital images are overlaid onto the real world.
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